The Combined Best Test XI of 2018

Middle-order

#3 Joe Root (England)

Joe Root was instrumental in England's series win against India and Sri Lanka

Matches – 13, Innings – 24, Runs scored – 948, Avg – 41, Hundreds – 2, Fifties – 6

Like Kusal Mendis, Joe Root too started off the year in a good note with scores of 83 and 58 not out against Australia at Sydney. But his best performance came in the first innings of the first Test at Birmingham against India when he scored 80. His innings enabled his team to win that Test match by a narrow margin of 31 runs. Root finished off the India series with a century at the Oval.

Joe Root’s crucial innings for England came in the second innings of the Kandy Test against Sri Lanka. After trailing 0-1 in the three-Test series, Sri Lanka took a 46 run first innings lead. In the second innings, England were 109 for 4 with an overall lead of just 63 runs. When the match and the series were in balance, Joe Root scored a brilliant 124 to set Sri Lanka a target of 300 runs in the fourth innings. Due to Joe Root’s fabulous efforts, England won that Test by 57 runs and with that the series.

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#4 Virat Kohli (India) (c)

King Kohli had an outstanding year across all formats

Matches -12, Innings – 22, Runs scored – 1240, Avg – 56, Hundreds – 5, Fifties – 4

Virat Kohli has been in the form of his life in 2018 as he completed 1000 runs in both Test matches and ODIs in this year. In the second Test match for India in the year at Centurion Kohli scored 153 against South Africa in a losing cause. In the next Test at Johannesburg which India won, Kohli’s contribution was 55 and 41.

After skipping the Afghanistan Test, Kohli reached the British shore with a question mark against his ability to come good in English conditions. Kohli proved his detractors wrong by scoring 149 and 51 in the first test at Birmingham which India lost narrowly by 31 runs. In the third Test of the series which India won convincingly, Kohli contributed with scores of 97 and 103 thereby becoming the only Indian player to aggregate 200 runs in a Test match in two matches in the same series in England. Kohli finished the England series with 593 runs.

Kohli scored his fourth and fifth century of the year against the West Indies and Australia respectively. Kohli is the leading run scorer this year and beyond any other batsman’s reach.

With his out-of-the-world performance this year, Kohli has proved beyond doubt that he is at present the best batsman in the world across all formats, his leadership stood out too in Test victories on away tours of South Africa, England and Australia.

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#5 Kane Williamson (New Zealand) (vc)

Williamson had a fruitful year both as a batsman and as a leader

Matches - 6, Innings – 10, Runs scored – 601, Avg – 67, Hundreds – 2, Fifties – 3

Williamson has played in only 6 Test matches this year. He scored a hundred in the first Test match at Auckland. But his major contribution came in U.A.E against Pakistan. In the 3 Test matches in U.A.E., Williamson had scores of 63,37, 28 not out, 30, 89 and 139. Apart from scoring all those runs, Williamson was spot on with his captaincy more so in the First Test at Abu Dhabi which New Zealand won by the narrowest of a margin of 4 runs.

Pakistan came back in the series by winning the second Test in Dubai. In the series-decider at Abu Dhabi, Williamson scored 89 in the first innings. Because of his efforts, New Zealand recovered from 72 for 4 to 274 all out. New Zealand conceded a crucial 74 run lead to Pakistan in the first innings.

In the second innings, New Zealand lost 4 wickets before wiping off the first innings lead. Pakistan were well and truly in command. But they had Williamson to reckon with, He along with Nicholls took the game and the series away from Pakistan with a partnership of 212 runs for the fifth wicket. When Williamson finally got out for 139, New Zealand was comfortably placed with an overall lead of 200.

The New Zealand bowlers completed the efforts of their skipper by skittling out Pakistan in 56 overs to earn an away series win against Pakistan after 49 years.

Williamson is the No 5 batsman in this team and also the Vice-captain.